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Friday, June 13, 2014

Vazhapoovu Vada (Banana Flower Fritters)

Vazhapoovu is not something you buy every week (especially
because it isn’t available in the Indian grocery store we frequent). Any
guesses as to where this one was bought? No? Well, this was from the
Chinese supermarket chain called Ranch 99. Even though their store stinks of
seafood (I am sorry, but it is quite unbearable), their produce section is
always well stocked and reasonably priced. They also have a decent bakery
section, with interesting varieties of breads.

Let’s not move away from the star of the day, the banana
flower. We were at the store recently and decided to buy the flower, especially
because my husband’s aunt was here and she offered to make the vadas. When we finally got around to making the vadas, diligently cleaned and chopped the flower
for me. Thanks to her patience, we had some mouth-watering vadas to go with our
evening tea on a lovely Sunday evening. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures
of the cleaning process. So please visit How
to Clean a Banana Flower for more information.

Ingredients

Chana dal (split Bengal gram) – 1 cup

Finely chopped banana flower – ½ cup

Finely chopped onion – ½ cup

Dried red chili – 1 or 2

Saunf (fennel seeds) – 2 tsps

Finely chopped ginger – 1 tsp

Oil for deep-frying + 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method

Soak the chana dal for at least 2 hours. If you do not have
enough time, soak it in hot water for an hour.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan. Sauté the onions
and banana flower until the flower is tender, about 5 minutes. Keep aside. Drain the soaked dal and grind into a coarse paste along
with the red chili(s). Add the sautéed banana flower and onion, saunf, ginger,
and salt. Mix well. Heat oil for deep-frying. Depending on the size of vadas you
want to make, take a tablespoon or two of the dal mixture and roll into balls.
Flatten into discs and fry until the vadas darken to a nice deep reddish-brown.
Remove onto a plate lined with tissue paper and allow the excess oil to drain.
Serve hot. Bon Appétit.

About Us

We have been friends for a long time and we have done it all: bunked classes, watched movies, sleepovers, trips and more. Some friendships last only through the school or college years but looks like this one was meant to be…because we are still friends.
After having cooked for our families and friends for a few years, we had the urge to cook for others. This led to the idea of opening a restaurant called ‘Square Meals’, which would take patrons on a gastronomic journey through different parts of India. The restaurant never materialized and the next best thing was this blog.
The Square Meals blog provides taste-tested recipes for you to try in your own kitchens. Join us on our culinary journey as we share some of our mouth-watering creations with foodies all over the world.